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DnsserverApplication · Technitium

CVE-2023-28455

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
An issue was discovered in Technitium through 11.0.2. The forwarding mode enables attackers to create a query loop using Technitium resolvers, launching amplification attacks and causing potential DoS.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Technitium DNS Server versions through 11.0.2 contain a vulnerability in forwarding mode that allows attackers to abuse resolvers in query loops, enabling DNS amplification attacks for potential DoS against targets.

MitigationRestrict or disable DNS forwarding mode, implement strict ACLs on forwarding rules to prevent unauthorized external queries, and configure rate limiting on DNS services.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
DnsserverApplication
Affected:<= 11.0.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check installed Technitium DNS Server version
    Access the DNS server admin panel (usually port 5380) or check the installed package/version through system commands or the application's about/status page
    Affected if The installed version is 11.0.2 or lower (any version through 11.0.2)
  2. Verify if DNS forwarding mode is enabled
    Navigate to the DNS server admin panel, go to Forwarders settings (typically under 'Settings' > 'Forwarding' or 'DNS' > 'Forwarders') and check if any forwarder addresses are configured
    Affected if Forwarding mode is enabled with one or more forwarders configured (the vulnerability only affects forwarding mode)
  3. Inspect forwarding rule ACLs
    In the admin panel, review the forwarding configuration to check if Access Control Lists (ACLs) are restricting which clients can use the forwarders; look for allowed IP ranges or networks
    Affected if No ACL restrictions are configured, or the ACL allows external/untrusted IP addresses to use the forwarders
  4. Check for rate limiting configuration
    In the DNS server settings, look for rate limiting or throttling options (typically under 'Settings' > 'Security' or 'DNS' > 'Options')
    Affected if Rate limiting is disabled or not configured on the DNS service

You are affected if running any Technitium DNS Server version 11.0.2 or lower AND forwarding mode is enabled with permissive or no ACL restrictions, making the server exploitable for DNS amplification attacks.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.0.2
Interim mitigation

Restrict or disable DNS forwarding mode, implement strict ACLs on forwarding rules to prevent unauthorized external queries, and configure rate limiting on DNS services.

Recommended fix High confidence

Latest version > 11.0.2 (check technitium.com for the specific fixed release)

  1. 1. Back up your current Technitium DNS Server configuration and data
  2. 2. Download the latest stable version of Technitium DNS Server from the official source (technitium.com)
  3. 3. Stop the DNS Server service
  4. 4. Install the new version over the existing installation
  5. 5. Start the DNS Server service
  6. 6. Verify that the DNS forwarding configuration is working correctly
  7. 7. Test that the query loop/amplification vulnerability is resolved
Caveat Minor: Review release notes for any configuration changes in forwarding mode

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Dnsserver Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,980
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-28455 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data